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Thursday, April 11, 2013

snow

I couldn't make myself take a picture of it. I think we may have gotten less than 6-12 or even 15 inches predicted but it is hard to tell. It was windy so the snow is barely there in some spots and three feet deep in others. Lots of places in the yard it was 10-12 inches deep. It is already turning to slush as the temperatures hover around freezing. I know that our area needs the moisture and I will be glad that we got this most recent snow but it was just starting to look so spring-like.

A couple days ago, before this last storm, our snow was mostly gone except for in the grove where it collects the deepest and hangs around the longest. I had poked a little at the top of the composting manure pile and it was thawed and loose and crumbly. I debated about dragging out the wheelbarrow and hauling some over to the potager and topping off a couple boxes.

I had checked out the potager anxious to see if my garlic was sprouting--it wasn't. No signs of life yet in the strawberry tower. I poked around in the new box and the soil there was loose and crumbly. This was the box that was replaced right before winter. All four of the long raised bed boxes are needing to be replaced and this was the first one. Last year we grew potatoes in this spot. All the dirt that was in the bed was moved and the potatoes were grown in two vertical systems. One was a wire cylinder and one was a wood box. As the potato plants grew soil was added to the containers. By the time it was time to harvest the potatoes the new bed was built around the towers and the soil from the potato towers stayed in the new bed. That soil, which partially filled the bed will need some compost added to it but it was loose and crumbly and tempting. The plan is to remove the soil from another box and then plant the potato towers in that spot. I am not sure if all three of the planters will be rebuilt this year or not but at least number two will need to get done. Those boxes were the original garden boxes and i cannot complain about how they have held up.

I had been out to check the corn field. It is going to take a lot of work to get it ready but I am so excited about having a space to grow the plants that take up a lot of room. This new space will have the sweet corn, pumpkins, squashes and melons for sure and perhaps the beans, peas and extra tomatoes.

A quick check of the orchard revealed that one apple tree has some signs of buds on the branches. This is one of the two apple trees. Both are unknown varieties but this is the one thought to be a full size apple tree, the west one. No signs of life yet in the new pear and plum trees planted last year. I am anxious to see if they survived their first winter. The replacement for the one that never grew last year has been ordered. Hopefully it will wait to make its appearance until the snow is gone.

I hear from Nikole that they are eating salads from the salad bowl planters and I hear from Kaylee that Asha is eating from her salad bar. The choi is her favorite.